Before you specify
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the cross-cut hold nearly twice as many sheets as the strip-cut?
Because of how the waste packs. Both models use the same 80 litre container, but HSM rates the cross-cut at approximately 978 shredded sheets against 526 for the strip cut. Strip-cut waste is long and springy and traps a lot of air; 4.5 x 30 mm particles settle densely. The practical result is that the more secure machine is emptied less often, which is the opposite of what most buyers expect.
Will it take tabloid, A3 and folded plans?
Tabloid and A3 yes - the throat is 300 mm and HSM states the machine accepts documents up to DIN A3, which is 297 mm wide. Tabloid at 11 inches is 279 mm. Larger plans need folding to under 300 mm across, and remember that each fold counts against your 14 to 16 sheet pass limit, so a folded A1 drawing is effectively four sheets going in at once.
Is P-4 enough for medical or legal records?
For records administration, yes - P-4 is the level most organisations specify for material containing personal, medical or financial detail, and it is what an auditor typically expects to see. For material where reconstruction would be seriously damaging - privileged case files, research under NDA, anything classified - your policy may call for P-5 or higher, and this machine does not reach it. Check your own retention and destruction policy before assuming.
Can it shred CDs, film and laminated documents?
CDs and film yes; laminated documents, cautiously. The rating is E-3, F-1, O-3, P-4, T-4, so optical media and film are within specification. Heavy laminate and plastic-covered binding are a different material and will load the rollers hard even though F-1 is present. Feed discs singly. Remove ring binders, bulldog clips and plastic comb bindings in all cases.
How many people can this machine support?
A department of ten to twenty-five in normal use. Fourteen to sixteen sheets a pass keeps a queue from forming and the 978-sheet bin means emptying perhaps weekly for most teams. HSM does not publish a duty-cycle figure, so if the machine will be fed continuously for hours - a records clearance project, for instance - plan pauses into the work or look at a departmental machine from the SECURIO range.
What does the lifetime warranty cover, and what does it not?
It covers the induction-hardened solid steel cutting rollers, which is where a shredder normally dies. HSM applies this cover to its P-2 through P-5 machines, so this P-4 model qualifies in full. It does not cover the motor, electronics or housing, which fall under the standard product warranty, and it does not cover damage from feeding material outside the specification - laminate, binders, clips, or paper quantities well over the pass limit.
Is it NSA approved?
No. NSA/CSS 02-01 requires particles no larger than 1 mm by 5 mm and requires the specific model to be on the NSA Evaluated Products List. This machine produces a 4.5 x 30 mm particle and appears on no such list. A DIN P-4 rating and an NSA approval are unrelated claims. If you need NSA-listed destruction, we can direct you to the high-security models that genuinely hold it.